The charfiya of Kerkennah, intangible heritage of UNESCO

The exceptional charfiya fishing technique, to the island of Kerkennah deserves to be inscribed, by UNESCO, on the list of intangible heritage of humanity. The dossier to obtain this very important recognition was presented to UNESCO on the initiative of the National Institute of Heritage (INP) and the Permanent Delegation of Tunisia.

The charfiya is an ancient fishing technique, whose use dates back to the Punic era.

The name appeared in official documents only around the twenty-seventh century, and exactly in 1670, derives from the Arabic word charaf (nobility) and is linked to the name of the Charfi family (the brothers Ahmed and Ali Charfi), from Sfax, who held the monopoly for the exploitation of maritime state property. In 1772, the Bey of Tunis, Ali Pasha Bin Hussein Bin Ali, takes away this right from the Charfi family, to assign it to the inhabitants of Kerkennah alone.

The charfiya is a labyrinth created by planting in the seabed a large number of palm leaves that create corridors that, thanks to the currents, bring the fish into the capture chambers. Here, the fish find the traps laid by the fishermen in which they remain permanently trapped.

The knowledge related to this unique fishing technique is transmitted from father to son. The realization of the charfiya indeed requires an excellent knowledge of the seabed, and the prevailing currents and winds.

It is usually installed at sea in October and is removed in June, guaranteeing a biological rest period for the fish species being caught.